Picking Up the Pieces
by Chellelove
Summary: The evil queen crossed Rumpelstiltskin to many times so he ended the curse. Now he's considered a hero, but he believes he'll be miserable for the rest of his life, until Belle is found alive in the evil queen's dungons.
1. Prologue

_**I hadn't planned on adding a new story until I saw Skin Deep and feel in love with the Belle/Rumpelstiltskin pairing. I am still working on my other stories as well, and hope to get back on a regular updating schedule soon (I'm still a little sick but things are looking up).**_

_**I want to thank xxXSnowQueenXxx for being my beta on my OUAT stories; she is amazing in my book.**_

_**I don't own OUAT, but I am a huge fan of the show.**_

_**Picking up the Pieces**_

_**Summary: The evil queen crossed Rumpelstiltskin to many times so he ended the curse. Now he's considered a hero, but he believes he'll be miserable for the rest of his life, until Belle is found alive in the evil queen's dungeons.**_

_**Prologue**_

Rumpelstiltskin POV

It amazes me that the evil queen can still be so idiotic after all these years. I have proven to her countless times that I am more powerful than she will ever be, yet in both world's she believes that she will be the one to defeat me.

I am surprised that she hasn't realized that I have the power to bring her happily ever after to an end, and give her precious step-daughter back the happiness that she stole. Has she not learned that I am Rumpelstiltskin, and I am not someone you want as an enemy.

The evil queen has tried to defeat me many times before. In both world's she has tried to break the 'curse' that gives me my powers so that she can take my place as the most feared in the land, and then there's the hand she played in the destruction of my Belle.

I didn't realize how much Belle meant to me until that wench told me that she was gone forever, and then the evil queen had the nerve to openly take pleasure out of my pain. I didn't expect anything less out of her.

Belle's suicide was the evil queen's doing in my opinion. I shoulder some of the blame because I foolishly believed that Belle was a spy who wanted to take away my powers. I believed this at first because I never thought that someone as beautiful as Belle could love a beast like me. I should have listened to her, and given myself time to think before I threw her out so hastily. My penance for my mistake is living without the woman I love.

Belle's father and his people had a hand in her death as well, they shunned her, and he sent in the priests that tortured her because she was associated with me. They were the main reason for her jumping to her death, and they now suffer for the pain they caused Belle, I make sure of it.

There are many who played a role in Belle's death, but the evil queen was the one who played the biggest role in my beloved's death in my opinion. If she would have kept out of my business Belle would still be by my side where she belongs.

I am realizing that the evil queen has become my enemy, and I am letting her live a happy life. Emma may have been the one who were supposed to break the curse, but I made sure that I could put an end to the curse in case I need an escape. The evil queen won't know what hit her when she is forced to face the wrath of everyone the curse wronged.

I do realize that I am not liked by most people, and I may have done more bad that I have done good, but by breaking the curse I may be able to keep my freedom, and if that doesn't work out princess Emma still owes me a favor.

I despise the life I have here, and I know that without my Belle I will never be happy in our world, but I won't be as miserable as I am here. I know what must be done, and I am looking forward to watching the evil queen's world crumble.

_**I hope you enjoy. Please review and no flames please.**_

_**Amanda**_


	2. Chapter 1

**I'd like to thank justwanttologin, Artemis Samhain, nicksmom3612, Isabella Courtney, The Ocean's Mist, Condiotti, immortalwizardpirateelf-fan, Speedygonzales05, flowers-under-moonlight, Angelstar, kmp121183, and all of my readers.**

**I want to really think my beta xxXSnowQueenXxx. btw she has a new Snow/Charming story that's awesome called Prince Charming, The Lonely School Teacher.**

**I don't own Once Upon a Time, if I did Rumpelstiltskin would know where Belle was and would have her out of there and spending his free time torturing Regina.**

**Chapter One**

**Rumpelstiltskin POV**

"Hello, Sheriff Swan," I said as I entered the police station, stopping to look around to make sure that we were really and truly alone. The conversation that I was about to have with Princess Emma isn't a conversation that should take place when there's an audience around.

"Mr. Gold," Emma said looking up from her paperwork, "I hope you haven't been assaulting anyone this time. Next time the judge may not see in your favor".

"I wouldn't think of it dearie", I said as I took a seat near her desk, "Mr. French only got what he deserved and he knows it.

Actually I am here to discuss your parents".

"My parents," Emma said angrily, "I have nothing to say about them Mr. Gold, I suggest you leave."

"You son's telling you the truth princess," I said watching Emma's expression as it turned from anger to shock, "I have no idea how Henry found out that we were under a curse, but I shouldn't have expected anything less from the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming."

"You can't be serious," Emma told me still shocked, "there's no possible way that everyone in this town is from some child's fairytale book."

"Magic is a dangerous thing to mess with dearie," I said with a small smirk, "I have learned that lesson a very long time ago. I have not been a good man, but unlike the evil queen I do learn from my mistakes. I want to turn over a new leaf once I break this curse. I don't plan on being a completely good person of course, but I will refrain from making such horrible deals, and I will no longer fight for the side of evil, since I refuse having to befriend the next evil queen."

"You're going to break the curse", Emma asked, "Henry said that I was the one who was supposed to break it".

"Why of course dearie", I answered, "you were the one meant to break the curse, but even if you started working on breaking it now it would still take you too long to send everyone back. I am terribly sad and lonely here, I created this curse and I made sure that I could break it if I needed to."

"How will you end it," Emma whispered looking over at me, I could tell from the look in her eyes that she wasn't taking this well, but I need her to have a clear head tomorrow when I break this curse and we arrive back in our world. "You will see dearie," I answered.

"If you are going to be the one to break the curse then why are you telling me," Emma asked, "if you're telling me the truth then you have nothing to gain."

"Believe it or not but I was once a good man. I followed the rules of others and all I got in return was the loss of my son," I told her sadly, "I have lost a lot, I lost my son, the love of my life, and any chance at happiness that I ever had. I am not an idiot, anywhere I go I will be miserable, but if I write this wrong and try to turn over a better leaf then I can at least honor the memory of my son, and my Belle."

"What will happen to Henry and me when you break the curse," Emma asked. "You will both return with us to the world that you belong in", I answered standing up, "if everything works as it should then both of you will remain the age you are now, but you will have to deal with having Snow White and Prince Charming being the same age as you are. "This is a lot to take in," Emma said as I walked over to the door.

"That is the reason I have told you all of this," I said turning to face Emma, "I know that evil queen well, and she will use anything and anyone that she can to win, and if you freeze up when we return to our world then your parents will as well, and I need you in the right state of mind in case I need to cash in my favor".

I didn't wait for her comment, she needed time to think, and I have to prepare myself for tomorrow so I left her there, and returned to my home in this world. Tonight will be my last night in this lonely hell, for tomorrow I will finally face the evil queen, and take away her happiness, like she did to me so many years ago.

**I hope you enjoyed. Please Review; it does influence how often I update.**

**Amanda**


	3. Chapter 2

_**I want to thank SailorDreamer95, BloodySilverThorns, Rumbellina, megumisakura, wiccagirl, loot, DreamWeaver529, moodymel, passionlikefire, RosabelleElizabeth, Kissfromarose2, and all my readers.**_

_**I know I've been gone for a while and I'm sorry for that but I'm better, I've moved, and I have a working computer and Wi-Fi which means I'm back unless something happens. **_

_**I want to thank Golden Orchid Cendrillon for betaing all of my OUAT stories.**_

_**I don't own Once Upon a Time.**_

_**Chapter two**_

_**Belle's POV**_

I was young when my mother passed away, so the memories I have of her are few. One of my better memories was right before she died, she called me to her and my father's room and she told me that one day I would meet a handsome prince and live happily ever after.

I was young, so I didn't realize that this was her goodbye, her way of trying to tell me that I would be ok after she was gone.

I wonder if my mother knew how wrong she was, that instead of loving a prince her only child would fall for a man who most of her beloved people thought to be a monster. I wonder if she knew that the man she married would become an indifferent father after she was gone because she didn't give him the son he wanted.

My father loved Gaston though, he was everything he ever wanted in a son and since he wasn't born into our bloodline; my father made it his mission to marry me off to him, even though he knew I despised him.

I loved Rumpelstiltskin, and I was happier as his maid than I ever was in my father's home. It broke my heart when he sent me away, I understand that in his mind I betrayed him but it still hurt that he couldn't trust me.

I had nowhere else to go but back to my father's kingdom after I was sent away, I believed that my father would welcome me back with open arms since I gave away my freedom so that he and his people could be safe. I had given up everything for my father just so he could betray me.

My father locked me away in a tower upon his return, he sent in priests and his guards to torture me for what he thought was betrayal, but he never broke me.

I never considered myself to be strong so to be able to withstand everything that was thrown at me was shocking, but I wasn't kept in the tower long. The Evil Queen, or as I knew her the woman that destroyed my happiness with Rumpelstiltskin stole me from the tower my father locked me in just so she could put me in a prison of her own creation.

The Evil Queen wasn't like my father, she rarely harmed me physically, and she took her pleasure in trying to destroy me emotionally. I suffered more at her hands than at my father's hands, her favorite way of hurting me was by bringing up Rumpelstiltskin, and how I loved a monster that couldn't even stand the sight of me.

A side effect of becoming the queen's prisoner was that she took pleasure in telling me about every life she destroyed, and the cures she planned on using to destroy her enemy's. Somehow she got her hands on one of Rumpelstiltskin's spells that would send everyone to another world where only her happiness would matter.

She told me that I would still be her prisoner there, so she could use me if she ever needed a bargaining tool with Rumpelstiltskin. What she was to idiotic to realize is that there is no such thing as bargaining with Rumpelstiltskin.

That was twenty-eight years ago; I am still the queen's prisoner which is often thrown in my face when she visits me. I have bided my time here, hoping that one day the queen will trade me to Rumpelstiltskin or kill me. Whatever she decides will be better than being her prisoner; I don't care because either way I will be free.

_**I hope you enjoy. Please review but no flames please**_

_**Amanda**_


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